


For Want of Other Options

by yuletide_archivist



Category: Black Jewels - Anne Bishop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-12-20
Updated: 2008-12-20
Packaged: 2018-01-25 04:40:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1632068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuletide_archivist/pseuds/yuletide_archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A long winter night leads to old tales told for the first time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	For Want of Other Options

**Author's Note:**

> thanks to Pervyficgirl for the beta
> 
> Written for Lusa

 

 

The fire was crackling, the women were occupied with something, and there were no crises immediately occurring. Saetan sat back, watching his family. Jaenelle was nestled next to Daemon, and Lucivar, up from Ebon Rih with Marian, and Daemonar who was already asleep.

       "If we were in Terrielle..." Daemon mused, staring into the fire.

       "We wouldn't be together for one." Lucivar smirked. He wouldn't trade now for anything. He could be with his brother and sister and no one would try to separate them.

       "You two did have a bit of a reputation," Saetan said meditatively. His sons were unusually communicative tonight.

       "We did destroy a court or two." Daemon nodded. Not apologetically, nor particularly remorseful Saetan noted. Just a simple matter of fact representation.

       "Or two?" Lucivar laughed. "The Blood of Terrielle always thought they'd be the first one to tame us."

       "More fools them," Jaenelle laughed softly. "You don't tame the a Yaslana or a SaDiablo. At least, not that way." 

       "Not if you're smart," Marian agreed solemnly, leaning against her savage, fierce husband, who was holding their son on his knee.

       "Why did you take that route?" Saetan asked, sensing that for once, his boys wanted to talk about then. They were safe here and he was still curious about what he couldn't prevent.

       "First one was...not long after we finished training," Daemon mused. "First time we met again, after everything."

Saetan settled back in his chair, a mug of yarbarah at his side, ready to listen to his sons finally talk about their time as slaves.

~~~

       He'd been staring at the man all night. Something in him seemed familiar. Something as...eluding him. He hated that feeling. They were the only two whores being paraded around by the bitch-witches for once. He knew he was supposed to serve and honor the women, but it never felt right. More than half forgotten rules someone had taught him, he couldn't recall who, told him that. Told him too, that there was something more that he should want that he needed, to truly earn his service.

       Eventually the Witches left them alone, left them to talk on their own while their betters...and the witches were always careful to remind them that they were supposedly their betters, went to talk. Talking lead them to arguing, vociferously on which one had it worse, and whether they knew each other. It felt like they ought to know each other for some reason. Eventually, arguing led to fighting, more because they needed to beat someone, hurt someone and the people they wanted to hurt most were also the people they were supposed to honor. People that their very nature would not let them honor.

       And after that, the court lay destroyed by two hot blooded, angry, dark jeweled Warlord Princes. And Daemon Sadi and Lucivar Yasi emerged from the ruins, antagonist friends.

~~~

       "And that was the first court you two destroyed?" Saetan asked. He knew his sons were dangerous together. More the fools they had been, to try to coerce that dangerousness. Warlord Princes either gave their loyalty, or were far too dangerous to have in a court. Serving didn't mean submissive after all. And none knew that one better than him.

       "That was before I killed the Queens who annoyed me," Daemon responded, half lidded and lazy.

       "We tore the court up a good bit though," Lucivar nodded glancing at Daemon, shared pain remembered.

       "How many courts did you destroy?" Jaenelle asked.

       "More than I really can remember," Daemon answered.

       "The biggest though, had to be the court after Tersa told us you were on your way," Daemon said.

~~~

       "You destroyed the web?" Lucivar asked. Tersa's declaration...could it be true? Could they have a Witch coming? One worth serving? Born into the cesspool of current policy, he honestly could only barely believe that Witch would come.

       "Of course," Daemon responded. "I believe her."

       "I hope she comes soon," Lucivar responded. The longer they had to put up with these shadows of what Queens ought to be...

       "She'll come," Daemon said. He didn't dare put a date on when she'd come. He just wanted her to come.

       "Bunch of weak-willed cowards, this court," Lucivar mused.

       "That's insulting the cowards." Daemon settled back. Apparently it was that time. "Nice seeing you, Prick."

       "You too, Bastard," Lucivar responded solemnly. Neither remarked on the fact that they were brothers in truth as they already knew they were brothers.

~~~

"Why did you do it?" Saetan asked.

       "It was something to do," Lucivar responded.

       "And since we couldn't hurt those who we wanted to, each other was all we had, sometimes we hurt each other on purpose," Daemon said.

       "Why hurt each other?" Marian asked. "When you were all you had?"

       Saetan sat back, listening to both his boys reveal bits of their long past away from him, his heart hurting for what he couldn't help them with. Ten reason to use his power, and ten reasons to hold back. He still, to this day, wondered if he'd made the right choice. He wished he could have spared them.

       "Because we could give our plans everything we had," Daemon responded. "Because we could be used against each other and were... and the fact made us angry."

       "Like when you managed to escape for a century," Lucivar nodded.

~~~

       "Stupid son of a bitch!" Lucivar raged at Daemon.

       "It's done," Daemon responded calmly, inspecting his nails.

       "You could have been safe!" Lucivar continued, punching him.

       "Not at the cost of you!" Daemon punched back.

       "Stupid," Lucivar kicked. "Son." A punch. "Of a bitch!" He started using Craft to make those words stick. He didn't care if he'd been sacrificed. He could have been free in the other way and Daemon would have had a stronghold for their Queen.

       "I am not facing our Queen without you by my side, Prick." Daemon fought back every bit as hard, as the brawl started to make the walls crack around them. He barely noticed disposing of a couple of the Warlords who attempted to intervene. The brawl was their bloodiest yet. Not their most destructive, but they weren't trying to be destructive for once. Just two brothers, pissed at each other for giving in, for giving up what could have kept one of them safe.

~~~

       "Any other memorable brawls?" Saetan asked.

       "Well...the Blood of Terrielle had horrible taste in wine a few times," Daemon answered, laughing softly.

       "The unending horse piss verses bad wine." Daemon laughed. "That one was always good for a brawl."

       "Horse piss verses bad wine?" Saetan chuckled darkly. "Well...sometimes there's not much difference."

       "What about you?" Jaenelle stared at, into Saetan. "You and Uncle Andulvar?"

       "You're too young for those stories," Saetan responded, with a wry smile. He missed Andulvar. "But we had a couple of arguments on the quality of wine ourselves. Nothing that destroyed a court...but we had a couple of bars that wouldn't let us back in." A couple countries, once or twice as well. Working with each other, instead of against each other as his son's were forced to, so many times.

Even with Andulvar gone, Saetan was content to be in the now, with his daughter and both sons, his grandchild, and his son's wife, all together at, safe, sound, and toasty warm, their friends nearby and safe as well.

 


End file.
